FINDING WORK THAT MATTERS: THE STRATEGY

"The conventional career path today is to head to corporate America,
work as long as you can stand it, then strike out for the small time."
-- Betsy Morris, screenwriter

I have identified 12 important steps for finding your life's work, and developed 24 tools and skills that can prepare anyone to confidently step out onto a new career path of increased personal satisfaction and service to others.

Each chapter contains one step, introduced with a question such as "What Makes You Happy," "What's Stopping You," and "How Can You Stay on Track." I then illustrate each step of the FWTM process with a story from my own personal experience-beginning with my decision to leave the security of my position as a nationally recognized professor at Harvard Business School-through what I've encountered on my lifelong FWTM journey.

For each step I provide two "lifelines" to guide readers in discovering their own answers to the chapter's central question. I then recount a personal success story to represent the essence of each lifeline. And, finally, I use a powerful exercise for each lifeline- designed to help readers take immediate action, starting with that all-important first step.

The FWTM personal career strategy program begins by explaining why traditional models of career planning-such as those based on skill sets and job market analyses, or on looking for work based solely on past experience, or on following familial and cultural measurements of success-no longer work. Skills or experience alone are not enough. The only successful career strategy is one that is built upon your talents-your own unique set of gifts, which include your values and passions as much as your skills.

The next step is to determine the practical goals that will bring you happiness and personal satisfaction. It's easy to get caught up in conventional measures of success-such as money or status-and to forget that what really makes us feel good about ourselves is often personal, subjective experiences, such as helping others or creating meaningful relationships. In fact, many of us are unhappy solely because we don't know what we really want, and we're killing ourselves to get it! There is no success when there is no joy, and when there is no sense of being useful, responsible, and compassionate to others.

So first we must determine who we truly are, apart from our jobs and societal roles. Only when we have acknowledged our needs at this deeper level can we begin to successfully determine what will make us happy. And it is only then that we can begin to fully assess our present situation and all aspects of our talents and begin to forge a healthier relationship with money and our careers.

No matter what field we decide to work in, the difference between success and failure is often based on our will to succeed. That will comes more from the passion and interest we bring to our jobs than any particular skill or experience. Therefore, once we determine the unique abilities we want to apply, we can pursue the kind of careers that require specific underlying passions, values, and skills for success.
That is the real secret of success: When we use our deepest desires to accomplish goals that we value, work no longer feels like work. Instead, hours fly past, ideas arrive on their own, and our tenacity doubles-and so does our self-esteem, our personal sense of satisfaction, and our success experiences! Then when we take a risk, we're filled with excitement, not anxiety.

It takes hard work to create a successful career. With a better understanding of who we are and what our needs are, we can begin to build the road we need to get there. First we must learn how to use our values in order to create value in the marketplace. Then we must figure out how to stand out from others and create a positive, memorable work identity. Then, when we do so, "good breaks" seem to multiply.

Ultimately, success is an inside job-it has no meaning beyond what it feels like to you. Knowing when to make changes and how to make them are essential parts of any success plan. Otherwise, you might realize one day that you have become all the things you said you would never become, or that you have sacrificed your life to further your career. FWTM is your essential guide to a well-balanced life and fulfilling career.

"If you're not working on your ideal day,
you're working on someone else's."
-- Marjorie Blanchard, career consultant